Dear Members and Friends,
Sometimes we think of courage as being the absence of fear, or bravery as being devoid of trepidation. Yet, considering the Passion of Our Lord, we see that true heroism, sacrifice and strength are not minimized by terror, but magnified.
When Jesus steadfastly took the path to Calvary, it was towards a real Cross looming at the end of that road. If his suffering was any different than ours tends to be, it was only in that he would face it without any capacity for denial or emotional avoidance. In other words, more than anyone else in history, Jesus was keenly aware of what he was doing and facing when the disciples ran and the crowds jeered, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” He knew, all too clearly, and for all too long, the pain and utter degradation he would have to endure and ultimately succumb to. He knew – and yet, he went. Yet with all the uncontrollable trembling and sweat pooled in blood, this was the quintessential embodiment of incredible valor and profound belief.
Each of us, perhaps in our own lives, or through our loved ones, may have a continuing or newly emerging situation that threatens to strike at the center of who we are and what we would hope to become. Even now, we may be facing issues or events that threaten to tear us apart or take us down without hope of rising again.
Whenever they emerge, in whatever form they appear, there are never any easy answers to the ultimate questions raised in the “hyper-reality” of death, sickness, suffering or despair. There are no simple responses. But there will always be God.
Much as we might wish it otherwise, the only way to face the Cross is to face it fully – in the complete awareness that indeed it could be the End. Denial is not discipleship, it is merely whistling in the dark. With fear in our hearts, there may be times when we tread the cobblestone “Via Dolorosa” (the Way of Sorrows). Truly, we may have to walk it more than once. But if we step forward when we are frightened, we will find ourselves in great company, striding upon this path no differently than Our Lord did, and with no less assurance of God’s goodness and mercy.
Indeed, Crosses materialize in many shapes and sizes. Death comes in many forms. Yet, taking these things full on, even when we are frightened, is the essence of courage and the epitome of faith. In encountering futility, frailty or mortality as Jesus did, along with our passing terror and trepidation, by God’s power, we will also find everlasting love and eternal life. Perhaps best of all, in recalling the initial response of the apostles to the very same Cross that Our Lord was willing to carry, we come to see that even if our fears should cause us to run away, our feet will never be able to take us outside the extent and reach of the Grace of God.
From Reverend William J. Keane,
Senior Minister of First Baptist Church of Branford
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